Tension device for moving-picture-film reels.



N. POWER. TENSION DEVICE FOR MOVING PICTURE FILM REELS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, I913.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

5 WW M701 PW NICHOLAS POWER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW Y ORK ASSIGNOR TONICHOLAS'PQWER GOMPAIIY,,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

weaves.

Specification of Letters latent.

TENSION DEVICE FOR MOVING-PICTURE-FILM REEIJS.

Patented Dec. 26, 191%.

Application filed June 4, 1913. Serial No. 771,589.

for Moving-Picture-Film Reels, of which the following is aspecification. w

This invention relates to tension devices for moving picture film reelsand has for its object to provide a mechanism of this character whichwill cause the film to be wound with an even tension throughout .theentire operation of the machine regardless of the increasing size of thereceiving reel as the film is wound thereon.

A further object of my invention is to pro-' vide a mechanism of thischaracter which will be simple to manufacture, efiicient in operation,and which will at all times prevent injurious tension being put on thefilm.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodimentof my invention, and in the said drawings, Figure 1 shows myimprovedtension device in side elevation applied to a moving picturemachine of standard construction; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of aportion of Fig. 1, looking from the right;

Referring now to the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of the head of themachine.

through which the film is fed to effect the production .of thev picture.The film feed ing mechanism comprises an intermittent sprocket forsuccessively feeding the pictures on the film stripl-3 into position forprojection and a continuously'driven' sprocket 1 which advances the filmfrom the head into thereceiving magazine 5. Within the magazine awinding reel 6 is mounted, whichreel is preferably driven from one ofthe continuously rotating shafts .of the. feeding mechanism, .forinstance the shaft 7;- by

means of a crossed belt 8'on suitablepulleys 9' and 10 on the shaft 7and the spindle 11 f V devices of various kinds are old but such devicespresent the same driving tension at ing roller 13 engaging'the belt 8adjacent the pulley 10. A link 14 is connected to the arm 12 and at itsopposite end is pivotally attached to an arm 15, fixed to and dependingfrom a short shaft 16 rotatably mounted in the wall of the magazine andprojecting slightly within the magazine. The hub of the arm 15 isprovided with an ear 17 to which is connected a pull spring 18 whoseother end is adjustably attached to an ear 19 on the wall of themagazine, the effect of the spring being to normally hold the roller 13yielding against the belt to tighten the same to a degree depending uponthe tension of the spring and the extent of the movement of the rollerpermitted.

The film 3 passes into the magazine through suitable guide rollers 20substantially above the shaft 16 and thence tothe underside of the reel.Attached to the inner end of the shaft 16 is an upwardly pro- I jectingarm 21 carrying at its free end an idle roller or spool 22 engaging thefilm and tending through the action of the spring 18 to deflect the filmfrom its normal path of movement.

The operation of the machine will be obvious from the above description.The speed of rotation of the pulley 9 must obviously be sufficient todrive the reel, when thebelt is tightened by the full tension of thespring 18, fast enough to wind the film on the empty reel as fast as itis delivered by the sprocket 4. As the reel increases in size the pullof the film on the spool 22 draws the arm 21 to the right, turning theand slip on the pulley and relieving'the tension on the film. Of courseas the film 'slacke'ns the spring again tightens the belt causing thereel to wind again. In practice the tightening and releasing of the beltcannot be distinguished, the effect being to maintain just suflicienttension on the belt to drive the same at the proper speed.

. I am aware that slip pulleys and friction all times, whereas thevariations in size of the reel as winding progresses gives a differentleverage, as it were, to the film so that the winding is not uniform.

With my invention the tension on the film itself .controls the tensionof the belt so that the winding is uniform throughout.

Having thus described my invention,

and operatively connected to said belt- What I claim and desire tosecure by Let-.

ters Patent is:

1. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of a magazinefor receiving the film from a moving picture projection machine, a shaftfor supporting the receiving reel for the film in the Wall of themagazine, a driving pulley attached to the shaft outside of saidmagazine, a belt therefor and a belt-tightening roll engaging said belt,a support for said belt-tightening roll comprising an arm pivotallymounted on the outside of said magazine, a rock shaft mounted in thewall of said magazine, an arm attached to said rock shaft within saidmagazine and a film engaging roll carried by said arm in position toengage the film between the winding reel and its point of entrance tothe magazine, an arm connected to said rock-shaft without said magazineapparatus, a shaft rotatably mounted in the wall of said magazine atabout the center thereof for supporting the film-receiving reel, a guidefor directing the film into the magazine near one corner thereof, adriving pulley on the reel shaft without the magazine, a belt therefdr,an arm pivotally mounted on the reel-shaft adjacent the pulley and abelt-tightening roll carried by the end of said arm, a rock-shaftmounted in the wall of the magazine and an arm attached to therock-shaft'within the magazine, a film engaging roll supported in thefree end of said last mentioned arm and adapted to engage the fihnadjacent the film guide, a second arm attached to the rockshaft withoutthe magazine, a link connecting the second arm with the arm of thebelttightening roll and. a spring operatively connected to therock-shaft and acting to turn the latter in a direction to yieldinglypress the belt-tightening roll against the belt.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 24th day of May, 1913.

NICHOLAS POWER.

